Explained: All the key differences in the AFL’s new broadcast deal

THE 2025 season marks the start of a new broadcast rights deal for the AFL, so there will be a few changes to how we watch the footy this year.

Here’s everything you need to know.

BROADCAST GUIDE Every game’s broadcaster in 2025
EXPLAINER All they key differences in the new broadcast deal
LOCAL MARKETS Every club, every channel, every game
HOW TO WATCH A state-by-state guide to Opening Round
FULL GUIDE Every commentator for every broadcaster in 2025

What are the basics?

The AFL’s broadcast rights for the next seven seasons – from 2025 to 2031 – sit with the Seven Network and Foxtel after a $4.5 billion deal agreed to in September, 2022.

The two networks have broadcast the AFL since 2011 but while the partners are the same, there will be some differences under the new deal.

Free-to-air coverage

Thursday night footy is a key part of the free-to-air offering under the new agreement, with an average of at least three live matches per round on the Seven Network and 7plus.

There’ll be an increase in Thursday night games under the new deal, with 23 already locked in for 2025, up from 14 last season.

While coverage can vary from state-to-state (more on that below), Seven’s free-to-air coverage will generally take in games on Thursday nights, Friday nights and Sunday afternoons.

Designated marquee matches outside these time slots, such as Anzac Day, Easter Monday and King’s Birthday, will also be shown on Seven and 7plus as part of the new deal.

In total, there will be the same number of free-to-air games each year as the previous deal.

Streaming on 7plus

The new deal represents a new era for streaming, with matches available for free on 7plus for the first time.

Matches broadcast on Seven will also be streamed on 7plus simultaneously in the market that they are being broadcast, the first time that men’s premiership season matches have been streamed for free.

Super Saturday on Fox

A key change under the new deal is Super Saturday on Fox, meaning the only place to watch every Saturday men’s premiership season game live is on Fox Footy, available on Foxtel and Kayo.

In 2025, for the first nine weeks of the season nationally, the first 11 weeks in the northern markets and the first 25 weeks in Victoria, every Saturday game will be exclusively live only on Fox Footy.

During these windows, Saturday matches involving non-Victorian clubs will still be broadcast into their home markets on Seven and 7plus, but on a delayed basis (more on that below).

So, while there will be less live Saturday games on Seven than there were under the previous deal, the addition of more Thursday night games means Seven will broadcast the same number of matches under the new deal as they did under the previous agreement.

The exception to Super Saturday is for marquee games, such as Collingwood v Essendon on Anzac Day. If a marquee game falls on a Saturday under the new deal, it will be broadcast on Seven and 7plus as well as Fox Footy.

Fox Footy’s broadcast

As was the case under the previous deal, every game of the premiership season and all matches in weeks 1-3 of finals will be broadcast live on Fox Footy.

The major change under the new deal is Fox Footy will now have its own commentary team and graphics for every match of every round. Previously, Fox Footy’s coverage of matches that were also Seven host broadcast matches used Seven’s commentary team and graphics.

Matches on delay

As was the case under the previous deal, all matches featuring the eight non-Victorian clubs – Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Greater Western Sydney, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, West Coast and Fremantle – will be broadcast on Seven in those respective states. The difference under the new agreement is some of these games, if they fall on a Saturday, will be shown on delay on Seven and 7plus and live only on Foxtel and Kayo.

This is part of Fox Footy’s Super Saturday arrangement under the new deal, which guarantees exclusive rights to live Saturday games in market-specific windows.

With the release of the 2025 fixture last year, we know that this season:

* Four Brisbane games and six Gold Coast games will be shown on free-to-air delay in Queensland in the first 10 rounds
* Four Greater Western Sydney games and three Sydney games will be shown on free-to-air delay in NSW in the first 10 rounds
* Four Adelaide games and four Port Adelaide games will be shown on free-to-air delay in South Australia in the first nine rounds
* Two West Coast games and two Fremantle will be shown on free-to-air delay in Western Australia in the first nine rounds

Finals

There’s no change to where finals will be broadcast under the new deal, apart from the addition of 7plus streaming.

Every finals match in weeks 1-3 will be shown on both Seven and 7plus as well as Foxtel and Kayo.

The Toyota AFL Grand Final will be exclusively available on Seven and 7plus.